Sports / This is not the cricketer the world knew: Sourav Ganguly on Imran Khan

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly reacted strongly to Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s speech at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Labelling Imran Khan’s address as ‘rubbish and poor’ Ganguly said he was ‘shocked’ after hearing it. Ganguly made this comment while replying to former India cricketer Virender Sehwag’s tweet in which he had shared a video of Imran Khan interacting with anchors of an American news channel.

Ever since his speech at the UN, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been under severe scrutiny and Ganguly was the latest to join in criticizing the Khan after Indian cricketers Mohammad Shami, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan.

“Viru...I see this and I am shocked...a speech which is unheard of...a world which needs peace, Pakistan as a country needs it the most...and the leader speaks such rubbish...not the Imran Khan the cricketer world knew...speech in UN was poor,” Ganguly tweeted.

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag shared the video on Twitter in which American anchors can be seen slamming the cricketer-turned-Prime Minister.

Sehwag shared the video and captioned the post as “You sound like a welder from the Bronx, says the anchor. After the pathetic speech in the UN a few days ago, this man seems to be inventing new ways to humiliate himself”.

In an interaction with an American news channel, Khan mocked the infrastructure in the country, saying “You have to go to China and see the way their infrastructure is. In New York, I am watching the car bumping around here.”

The anchors did not take Khan’s comment in a good manner and blasted Khan by commenting “You don’t sound like a Prime Minister of Pakistan, you sound like a welder from the Bronx”.

At the UNGA, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about India’s growth and how the country has developed under his leadership, while the Pakistan PM spoke on the ongoing Kashmir issue and also warned India of a nuclear war.

On August 5, the Central government abrogated Article 370 removing the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir.

The government also brought in Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, bifurcating the state into two Union Territories -- Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.